From IQ to Mental Health: The Lifelong Benefits of Postpartum Skin-to-Skin
Can you believe that newborns were once kept away from their mothers? Doctors believed it was better to separate families for days, if not weeks, to prevent spoiling the child. Fortunately this practice disappeared as data surrounding the importance of mother-baby bonding began to emerge. Stronger attachments, better relationships, emotional development, and more are all enjoyed by adults who were once “coddled” as infants. I just love this topic, and am very eager to share how skin-to-skin is performed, and how it benefits babies, moms, and dads. But first, where did this practice come from in the first place?
Importance of Skin-To-Skin, a Fascinating Tale
In the 1970s, Dr. Edgar Rey was a pediatrician at the biggest neonatal care unit in Colombia. The Instituto Materno Infantil served the city’s poorest families and was constantly overcrowded. There were often three babies to an incubator, high rates of cross-infection, and a staggering death toll. Infants were frequently abandoned, as young impoverished mothers found it easier to leave, rather than watch the slow deaths of their children. Dr. Rey wanted to do something, but what?
He happened upon a paper about the growth of baby kangaroos. At birth, joeys are no bigger than a strawberry, hairless, and unable to feed without assistance. Dr. Rey noticed that these little animals share many qualities with premature humans. The mother kangaroo keeps the “preemie” in her pouch for months, giving it all the hormonal and thermoregulatory benefits of direct skin-to-skin contact. “What if our premature babies received the same ‘kangaroo care’ as our mammalian cousins?” It was a crazy thought, but Rey was sure it would work.
Rey advised mothers to hold their babies “kangaroo style” for several weeks after a premature birth. And the results were astounding. Death and infection rates plummeted, overcrowding was no longer an issue, and infant abandonment all but dropped off. Perhaps most significantly, the adults who received kangaroo care as infants were less hyperactive, better socially adapted, and they earned higher wages than their peers. This long term data attests to the powerful effects that skin-to-skin care offers to premature babies. Imagine what it can do for a full term newborn!
Skin-To-Skin Benefits For Baby
Dr. Rey’s discovery highlights the importance of skin-to-skin for preemies, but does it assist a full term infant? ABSOLUTELY!
Better Brain & Emotional Development
A baby’s brain development depends on the presence of its mother. Until about nine months of age, children believe that they and their mothers are the same beings. If they wake up to find her missing, they undergo the same panic response as anyone else who found that their legs were gone, their family left, and their was phone dead. Terrifying, right? This would hardly be the time to learn about one’s environment, the first priority would be to scream for help. On the other hand, if a baby wakes to the warmth of its mother’s skin, it will feel secure enough to explore its surroundings. It will notice the texture of mom’s hair, the smell of her milk, and the sound of her voice. This fundamental learning and exploration stage forms the foundation for lifelong intelligence and emotional development. A long term study found that nine-year olds who enjoyed skin-to-skin as infants had better relationships with their parents, more supportive conversations with their peers, and exhibited a remarkable openness to the perspectives of others. The mother-baby dyad is the foundation for all future relationships, so it’s important to get it right!
2. Better Breastfeeding
Exclusive breastfeeding offers benefits too numerous to count! But this quick summary should give you an idea:
LOWER rates of SIDS, illnesses, infections, colds, neonatal death, asthma, types 1 and 2 diabetes, necrotizing enterocolitis, and obesity in the child; less postpartum depression and various cancers for mom.
BETTER IQ scores, verbal intelligence, neurodevelopment, weight gain, and long term health for Baby; quicker weight loss for mom.
Sadly less than half of mothers stick with breastfeeding for longer than 3 months. Fortunately you have a built-in tool to make the job easier: SKIN-TO-SKIN! Contact with Mom’s skin flips a switch for certain instinctual behaviors in her baby, including feeding. The breast crawl is a fascinating process that begins with Baby’s immediate placement on Mom’s abdomen. Over the next hour the baby will calm down, recognize his mother, and locate and suckle her breast with no help whatsoever. I know it sounds far-fetched, but immediate skin-to-skin actually triggers this instinct within just one hour after birth! The golden hour is so important for long term breastfeeding that hospitals participating in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative must allow skin-to-skin within the first 5 minutes or else lose their qualification. While an unmedicated birth is best, skin-to-skin will assist you on your breastfeeding journey regardless of the method of delivery.
Skin-To-Skin Benefits To Mom
The perks of kangaroo care don’t stop with Baby…Mom benefits as well! The oxytocin released when skin-to-skin with her infant promotes gentle contractions that help her dispel the placenta faster, and lessen postpartum hemorrhage. Furthermore, oxytocin gives rise to beta-endorphins, the “feel good” hormones that make certain activities pleasurable. You release a whole lot of these when close to your baby, helping you to take pleasure in basic maternal interactions. Motherhood certainly comes with a lot of mundane tasks, but skin-to-skin programs you to enjoy the little things you do for your baby! And lastly, studies indicate that this practice assuages postpartum depression, especially when continuously practiced during the first two months of Baby’s life.
Benefits to Dad
You didn’t think I’d forget Dad now, did you? Fatherhood can be intimidating, especially if this child is your first. Mom spends so much time with the infant that it can be hard to see where you fit in. But just like her, you too can get a lot from kangaroo care. In fact, dads who practice regular skin-to-skin are better bonded with their children, they’re quicker to read and respond to the infant’s hunger and stress cues, enjoy more emotional healing, and even get more sleep. Mom needs a break at some point, so take the opportunity to contribute in a powerful and life-changing way! Just one hour with your newborn will empower you as a husband, father, and leader of the home.
Maximizing Skin-To-Skin
For all these benefits? Sign me up! But how is it done, and how much cuddle time do you need? Clothed only in a diaper, place Baby on your bare chest (a great opportunity for tummy time btw). Don’t worry about the baby overheating, a mother’s body will thermoregulate according to her infant’s needs. Dad, however, does not have this mechanism and will need to tune into the baby’s cues. Skin-to-skin can be done during naps, breastfeeding, reading, or watching TV. Aim for a minimum of three hours every day for the first three months, or longer if your baby was born prematurely. Even after the “fourth trimester”, your baby needs to continue bonding with Mom and Dad. One simple idea is to clothe them in nothing but a diaper when appropriate. My sister lives in a hot climate and essentially keeps her babies in diapers until they’re a year old. “Touch is important,” she explains. And something must be working, because she has five beautiful and well-adjusted kids!
We’ve (fortunately!) come a long way from the days of mother-baby separation. From short term survival to long term mental health, Dr. Edgar Rey’s discovery has changed millions of lives for the better. I’m grateful that I knew enough to emphasize skin-to-skin when my first was in the NICU. Despite all odds, she is extremely well adjusted and just adores people. I’d love to know if you incorporated kangaroo care within your own family! Do you have any tips for other parents? Anything you would do differently? Be sure to share your hard-earned wisdom with the Ecco family!
SOURCES
"Healthy birth practice #6: Keep your baby with you – it’s best for you, your baby, and breastfeeding." Lamaze International. (Crenshaw. 2019.)
"Kangaroo care: the radical skin-to-skin approach to saving premature babies." The Guardian. (Corner. 2017.)
Bigelow AE, Power M. Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact: Short- and Long-Term Effects for Mothers and Their Children Born Full-Term. Front Psychol. 2020 Aug 28;11:1921. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01921. PMID: 32982827; PMCID: PMC7485314.
"Fathers and skin-to-skin contact: dads, you have a vital role to play in the life of your baby." Kangaroo Mother Care. (Bergman. 2017.)
Bigelow A, Power M, MacLellan-Peters J, Alex M, McDonald C. Effect of mother/infant skin-to-skin contact on postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal physiological stress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2012 May-Jun;41(3):369-82. doi: 10.1111/j.1552-6909.2012.01350.x. Epub 2012 Apr 26. Erratum in: J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2012 Jul-Aug;41(4):580. PMID: 22537390.
